


Smiling Fixes Everything

by Carrot_With_A_Tophat



Series: SGE Oneshots - Or - However many I end up writing before the film comes out [1]
Category: The School for Good and Evil - Soman Chainani
Genre: Angst, Beatrix’s mental health, Beaty is in the Eye of the beholder, F/F, I just wanted to put a cool quote in the tags, Implied Nick/Chaddick, Internalized Homophobia, Pining, Tagatha is very minor so if you came here for that, cause I can’t tag, have fun, not a very happy ending, please still read it, very very very minor though, what are my tags
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-05
Updated: 2021-03-05
Packaged: 2021-03-17 20:13:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,366
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29846871
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Carrot_With_A_Tophat/pseuds/Carrot_With_A_Tophat
Summary: I was bored so I wrote this.It takes place during the Circus of Talents proposal scene, but it’s Beatrix’s point of view.And also Beatrix/Reena
Relationships: Agatha/Tedros (The School for Good and Evil), Beatrix & Herself, Beatrix/Reena (The School for Good and Evil), Minor or Background Relationship(s)
Series: SGE Oneshots - Or - However many I end up writing before the film comes out [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2195118
Comments: 11
Kudos: 12





	Smiling Fixes Everything

Smile.

That’s what her string of Governesses and Tutors told her when she was learning how to be a princess.

_Smile Beatrix,_ her governess had once snapped at her when she’d caught Beatrix letting the corners of her mouth droop, _a perfect smile is a Princess’ greatest weapon._

Beatrix remembered her aching cheekbones. She remembered catching her reflection in a mirror and studying her tired eyes, she remembered forcing her mouth into a pleasant grin and turning back to her sewing.

Now here she was. She’d spent five hours before the ball getting ready. Styling her hair, perfecting her make-up, arranging the skirt of her pale pink dress so that it would swish in just the right way when she walked. She had spent weeks designing this dress to perfectly compliment Tedros’ royal blue jacket. They should have been the most perfect couple. His proposal to her asking if they could go to the ball together should have been the fairy tale, picture perfect moment that would finally leave her satisfied with life. 

But that was not what happened.

It started off with Agatha, gliding in wearing her midnight blue gown. Beatrix had instinctively glanced over at Reena who was also looking for her. Reena sent her a reassuring smile and Beatrix sighed and then glanced over to Tedros. He had never taken his eyes off of her. She felt a wisp of insecurity bubble up inside of her but shoved it down and plastered a false, easy smile on her face. She tried to catch Tedros’ eye but he kept his eyes locked on Agatha the entire night. 

When it was her turn to perform, she swallowed down her internal panic and fear about her ball date and filled her mind with things that made her happy.

_Her sweet little bunny. Reena. Her friends. Reena’s smile. Her mother. Reena’s laughter._

_No, she can’t think about her._

_Her favourite desert, chocolate chip brownies. The library in her childhood home. The beautiful pond where she and Reena had gone on a picnic together. Reena._

Thoughts circulated her head until all of them fell away leaving only the person that made her happiest.

Reena.

The first time she saw her, she though she was beautiful. When she’d got to know her more, she found the girl even more magnificent. Whenever she was challenged to do anything by a teacher, she did it thinking of the proud smile that Reena would honour her with when she succeeded. Now as she readied herself to perform, she scanned the crowd and found Reena sitting three rows from the front, smiling at her like she’d hung the moon.

Beatrix reinforced her smile and clutched Teddy tighter to her. She opened her mouth and began to sing the sweet melody that she and Reena had worked on together in preparation for the Circus. Reena was the first to join in, and soon everyone was singing along. When she finished, she floated back to her seat in a wave of happiness and hugged Reena in joy. She arranged her skirts around her and waited for the moment when Tedros would ask for her hand. 

Then it all went completely wrong.

Tedros ask for Agatha’s hand instead.

When he knelt down, Beatrix knew he was about to ask her to the dance. She already began to gather her skirts so she could go up and join him on the stage. But he did not call her name.

He called the witch’s.

Her blood turned to ice the second the word _Yes_ passed her lips. It should have been her saying that. That’s what every one had told her. The teachers. Her tutors. Her parents. All of them had told her that one day, she would marry a handsome Prince and one day become their queen. She would help the poor and host dinner parties. She would sit and smile all day while receiving guests in her private quarters.

But with that one word, their future for her had been snatched away. She thought of their disappointed gazes, their disproving eyes and worst of all; their horror at finding out that she had lost her Prince to a witch. 

She glanced sideways at Reena slightly and found her staring. She held her gaze for a second and felt peace. All was calm, even as her picture-perfect future shattered. She simply gazed in chocolate brown eyes for a second before being overcome with a sense of horror at a realisation. She didn’t care. She didn’t care that the future she’d been told would happen crumbled away before her. She even found that she was relieved. Hidden underneath her false smiles and the endless lies to herself, she found a dark but wondrous truth. She didn’t t need that future. If she had Reena, that was enough for her. That would forever be enough. 

Beatrix had heard about the pact that two boys would go instead of asking the witch. She had shrugged it off at first. After all, princes don’t marry princes, just look at all the fairytales. But she found that in her daydreams she began to think about it more and more. Then it switched to two girls, elegantly waltzing together. Then it became herself and Reena. She’d shoved these daydreams down, dismissing them as nothing more than ball stress, but now those mental images returned to her.

She felt Reena take her hand as a sign of comfort and she cast the girl a small smile. She could not bring herself to snatch her hand away, even though she knew she should. She found she wanted to hold hands with her, hug her, even kiss her. She wanted to dance with Reena in front of all of her peers and show off this beautiful, perfect girl as someone she loved. She wanted to grow old with her and rule a kingdom with her. She wanted to go to dinner parties with her at her side. She wanted to marry her. She wanted/

Beatrix felt fear seize her. No. Princesses could not marry princesses. Just look at the fairy tales. She snatched her hand away from Reena’s like it had burned her. She tore her eyes away from Reena’s that were filled with shock. She looked back towards the stage where Tedros knelt, spell bound by the witch. She steeled herself and once again shoved down her innermost thoughts. ‘A moment of weakness and blindness, that’s all it was’ she told herself. She could still fight for that ending they wanted for her.

She vaulted to her feet and voiced her protest before Chadwick asked for her hand instead. She felt confusion fill her. She was unsure of what to do. She subconsciously cast her eyes to Reena who was now standing, with hurt filling her eyes. Beatrix felt guilt wash over her but she swallowed it the second Nicholas dropped to his knees before her and asked for her hand. With one last fleeting glance at Beatrix, Reena shook herself and accepted.

Beatrix felt it the moment she said yes. Deep within her heart, sorrow shot through her like a Lance and she almost felt her facade crumble. She felt like crying. Why did she feel so sad about Reena? Why did she wish it was her that she had said yes to? But she tossed away those thoughts as soon as they had come. She would not think about the answer because deep down, she already knew what it was.

She looked down at Chadwick who also seemed distracted by Reena and Nicholas and studied him. He was not the Prince that she had imagined would ask her. He was not the person she really wanted to go with. But as a thunderous chorus of ‘yes!’ rang out in the hall, she realised that even though she would not be going with Reena, she wouldn’t ever miss an opportunity to admire her perfect features in a ball gown. 

She plastered a smile of her face and muttered the necessary word before seating herself back down. She notices that there were several more inches between Reena and her now.

Keep smiling Beatrix, keep smiling.

**Author's Note:**

> Well done if you made it this far.
> 
> Comments and Kudos are appreciated.
> 
> Also can anyone tell me what Beatrix/Reena’s ship name is? Thanks.


End file.
